The end of Bayern's unsuccessful series and the success of German coaches
If we take into account only the merits and status of the teams, then the upcoming Champions League final can be safely compared to the confrontation between David and Goliath. In this case, the role of the second is not the richest Paris Saint-Germain, but Bavaria, which is rightfully considered one of the strongest teams in the Old World. Only Real Madrid more often reached the final of the tournament (16 times), and in terms of the number of victories, the Munich side is second only to the royal club, Milan and Liverpool.
In general, the current competition was marked by the dominance of Bayern. Even under the leadership of Niko Kovacs, she won three victories with a total score of 13: 4, and after the arrival of Hans-Dieter Flick, she seemed completely invulnerable. As a result, ten victories in a row on the way to the Champions League final and a repetition of Milan's record 27 years ago. On Sunday, the Germans will try to take over for the 11th time in a row and surpass the achievement of the Italians. In the 1992/93 season, the Rossoneri failed to win the trophy, losing to Marseille.
Already in the fall, Flick's team began to be called one of the main contenders for victory in the tournament, but before the start of the rally, only the most devoted fans of the club thought so. Indeed, in recent years, Bayern have acquired the status of one of the most unlucky teams in European competition. After the 2013 triumph, the Munich team was four times a step away from the final, but each time lost. At the same time, they lost three times to the future victors - Real Madrid and Barcelona, and once again failed to cope with Atlético. In addition, few could have imagined that the club would restructure so quickly after the departure of long-term leaders Franck Ribery and Arjen Robben, and so easily endure the change of mentor.
Speaking of coaches, the 2019/20 UEFA Champions League continues the trend of German domination. A year ago, Liverpool became the strongest team in Europe under the leadership of Jurgen Klopp, and a year later one of his compatriots will win the trophy. The last time, two different mentors from the same side led their teams to victory in the tournament in 1997 and 1998. It is noteworthy that they were also Germans. First, Ottmar Hitzfeld achieved success with Borussia Dortmund, and then Jupp Heynckes with Real Madrid came to the top.
At the same time, teams of two coaches from Germany had met only once before in the final. This happened in 2013, when Bayern under the leadership of Heinkes took over Klopp's Borussia. Munich took the upper hand with a score of 2: 1, and goals were scored by Mario Mandzhukic, Arjen Robben and Ilkay Gundogan.
For Flick and Tuchel, this will be their first UEFA European Cup final and have a history of playing decisive matches at the national level. But if Hans-Dieter won the German Cup, then Paris Saint-Germain last year lost to Rennes in the French Cup.
Return of leaders and successful PSG series
Although Paris Saint-Germain is considered an underdog, it cannot be written off. At least due to the fact that the attacking line of the team is made up of some of the main stars of world football - Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Angel Di Maria. This trio chalked up 26 (11 + 15) points on the goal + pass system and is rightly considered one of the brightest in Europe. At the same time, the Argentine is among the top three assistants in the last 16 years (27), and the Brazilian has given the most assists since his debut in the main European Cup (24). During this period, his only worthy opponent is Cristiano Ronaldo (21), and the rest are far behind.
In addition, Neymar managed to get his way and reach the Champions League final without the help of Lionel Messi. In 2017, he did not want to remain in the shadow of the Argentine and left Barcelona, and now he can win the main European Cup. Taking into account the fact that since his departure the Catalans have never fought for the trophy, the Brazilian probably made the right decision. The trouble is that in Paris he is also not a full-fledged main star and shares this title with Mbappe and Di Maria.
However, the trinity of Parisians cannot be said to be in perfect condition. Neymar is experiencing serious problems with implementation, which was clearly seen in the games with Atalanta and Leipzig, and Mbappe was just recovering from injury. Nevertheless, the Frenchman spent 30 minutes on the field in the match with the Italians and played almost the entire match with the Germans, which should set up a positive mood. In addition, PSG's main goalkeeper Keylor Navas, who has extensive experience in decisive meetings, recovered from the damage. In 2016—2018. he helped Real Madrid become the strongest club in the Old World three times.
Their good history of confrontation with German clubs also speaks in favor of the French. Over the past ten years, they have faced opponents from Germany seven times and won five times. At the same time, one of the defeats fell on the group stage of the competition, and the second did not prevent them from winning a ticket to the next round of the playoffs. In 2017, PSG lost to Bayern 1: 3, but then took a convincing revenge - 3: 0, and in 2020 they beat Borussia Dortmund in the 1/8 finals.
An unfavorable factor can only be called the constant failures of the French teams in the confrontation with the Germans in the European Cup finals. Throughout their history, teams from the two countries met twice in decisive matches, and both times the representatives of Germany took the upper hand. And both times Bayern played the role of triumphant. In 1976 she defeated Saint-Etienne in the Champions League, and 20 years later beat Bordeaux in the UEFA Cup. Then the trophy was played for the penultimate time in a two-legged confrontation, and the Munich team defeated the opponent with a total score of 5: 1.
Lewandowski's incredible shape
Despite the star status of the Paris Saint-Germain trio of forwards, the focus will be on Bayern's attack leaders. In the current draw, the German squad has already hammered 42 goals and, according to this indicator, ranks second in history. To repeat Barcelona's achievement of the 1999/00 season, she needs to score three more times. It is worth noting that the Catalans needed to hold 16 meetings for this, while the Munich ones - only ten.
Of course, Robert Lewandowski deserves special attention. Although he could not take the Golden Boot at the end of the season in the national championships, in the Champions League, he will definitely not give up the first place in the scoring standings to anyone. At the moment, he has 15 accurate shots - five more than Erling Holland. Moreover, together with teammate Serge Gnabry, who scored nine goals, Lewandowski has already made history. The Pole and the French have surpassed the achievement of Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale in goals in one tournament draw.
If Lewandowski manages to hit Paris Saint-Germain twice in the final, he will equal Ronaldo in the number of goals scored. Six years ago, the Portuguese scored 17 times in one tournament and helped Real Madrid win the Champions League for the tenth time.
Silva's Farewell Match and Bernath's Revenge
Also, this meeting promises to be special for the defender of the Parisians Thiago Silva. The 35-year-old Brazilian has defended the club's colors since 2012, but will be forced to leave the French capital at the end of the season. The athlete's contract expires and the club is not interested in renewing it. Thus, the game against Bayern will become not only his 60th (club record) for PSG in the Champions League, but also his farewell. There is hardly any doubt that the footballer will do his best to leave on a high note.
In addition, the left-back of the Parisians Juan Bernat should be over-motivated. For four years, the Spaniard defended the colors of Bayern, but the Munich club did not need it and at first settled tightly in the reserve, and in 2018 he was sold to Paris Saint-Germain. At the same time, compensation amounted to only € 5 million, which is an extremely small amount for a player of this level.
Bernat could well have been in reserve this time too, but Livin Kurzava was seriously injured. As a result, the Spaniard became practically uncontested in his position and was tightly registered at the start, but did not forget to justify the confidence placed in him. In the playoffs, he first hit the gate of Borussia, and then put an end to the confrontation with Leipzig.